Do government-assisted refugees receive more money for food than Canadians on welfare?

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

A widely circulated post on social media alleging Syrian refugees receive more money for food than Canadians on welfare is not true, say federal and provincial officials who also debunk other widely circulated claims.

The Facebook post, which also appears on Instagram, began circulating on Dec.18, and government officials say it is the latest in a series of false claims on social media.

The federal Liberals set themselves a deadline to resettle 10,000 refugees by Dec. 31. That date has passed and they're still working on it: the latest data on the Immigration Department's website says 6,720 Syrian refugees have arrived in Canada since Nov. 4. Of those, 2,586 are on government assistance.

They're still aiming to resettle 25,000 Syrian refugees by March 1.

The post claims government-assisted refugees from Syria receive $61 a day for food compared to welfare recipients in B.C. who are said to receive $3 a day.

"A Canadian welfare recipient [in B.C. for example] receives only $3 per day for food while our government will spend $15 per refugee for breakfast, $16 for lunch and $30 for dinner per refugee," the post says.

"Funny how we are willing to spend more money to feed people instead of helping our own first."

Federal and provincial officials told CBC News that the figures are simply "not correct," and federal monthly support for Syrian refugees is based on provincial and territorial welfare rates.